The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hi all...any suggestions for a good sounding under $200 electric portable to help me sort through a large bunch of shellac records I have acquired ?
I'm kinda new at this and have several good sounding wind-up machines that I love playing but I need something a little more practical for sorting and I don't want to damage the records.
Any advice appreciated!
Cheers!
Glenn

Califones or most any of the 60s-70s era school record players work great for that purpose, they track lightly and you can still easily get replacement power point needles for them. I have one I use for that purpose, they're small and can easily be stored in a closet when they're all closed up. Some of the better models even have pitch controls if you're really into correct playback speeds even when just sampling stuff. They're plentiful and cheap if you're patient enough.

Sean

I paid $15 for my Califone at a yard sale. The variable speed is a must for playing Berliners! Check your local Craigslist too...

George P.

Stay away from drop changer consumer models as the changer mechanism is what fails most of time added to that it can break fragile 78's on the drop. The Caliphone is a heavy duty (meant for school use) single play phonograph. Great for auditioning your collection.

If your unfamiliar what one looks like I downloaded a photo.

I've owned both a Califone portable and a "first generation" Vestax Handy Trax. Both did very well as electrically amplified portables, but the Vestax model has several advantages.

First of all, it's lightweight, it can be run on batteries or AC, it has a variable speed adjustment lever (useful for playing acoustic era 78s that were not necessarily recorded at 78 rpm), along with a a tone & volume control. The new model -- http://www.vestax.com/v/products/detail.php?cate_id=84 -- also has a USB port. While it comes with a standard stylus for LP records, you can order a special 3 mil. stylus for playing 78s.

I'll admit that the sound quality from the monitor/speaker leaves a lot to be desired, but through stereo earphones, it's excellent. (You can also hook up amplified PC speakers to it.) Because of it's portability, it's great to take along when you are record hunting.

Prices are all across the board -- from $119 to nearly $400, so it pays to shop.


I'll also second that a used Califone is another excellent and very reasonably priced choice. By the way, these are still being produced -- http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... &A=details though from the look of it, they now use the generic type, Chinese made components you'd find on the cheap Crosley portables -- http://www.crosleyradio.com/Product.aspx?pid=1674

The Ion IPTUSB and the Numark PT01 (same players just different badges) have the same features as the Vestax, and can be had a fair amount cheaper. Also, Newcomb and Audiotronics school phonos which are similar to the Califones are good choices too. Just watch the thrift shops and flea markets. There were tons of different record players that play 78s that can be had for little money.